Castillo, along with classmates Brendan Bialy and Joshua Jones, is credited with helping minimize the bloodshed of the shooting that injured seven students. Castillo was the only fatality.

At a memorial for Castillo held at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, his father, John Castillo, said it was no surprise to him and his wife, Maria, that their son acted as he did on May 7, when he and two classmates disarmed one of the suspects. He urged those in attendance to be more like his son and put love and compassion for others first.

This undated photo provided by Rachel Short shows Kendrick Castillo, who was killed during a shooting at the STEM School Highlands Ranch on May 7, 2019, in Highlands Ranch, Colo.(Photo: Rachel Short, AP)

“We love our community,” Castillo said. “We’re a family of three and a little dog, but you know, I feel the love of thousands.”

Speaker after speaker praised the young man, focusing on his character and the accomplishments of his short life. References to the shooting were few, including one by Dakota Mann, who was on the school robotics team with Castillo.

“He died for us. Now it’s time for us to live for him,” Mann said.

A procession featuring more than 600 Jeeps – Castillo was a Jeep and off-road vehicle enthusiast – began around 12:15 p.m.

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More than 600 Jeeps arrive for a memorial service for Kendrick Castillo Wednesday, May 15, 2019, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. Castillo loved his Jeep and off-roading so other Jeep enthusiasts answered the call to help show their appreciation for his heroism. Castillo was killed while trying to stop an alleged gunman at his Colorado school. David Zalubowski, AP

More than 600 Jeeps lead a caravan to the memorial service for Kendrick Castillo, who was killed in the assault on the STEM Highlands Ranch School, Wednesday, May 15, 2019, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. David Zalubowski, AP

More than 600 Jeeps lead a caravan to the memorial service for Kendrick Castillo, who was killed in the assault on the STEM Highlands Ranch School, Wednesday, May 15, 2019, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. David Zalubowski, AP

More than 600 Jeeps lead a caravan Wednesday, May 15, 2019 to the memorial service for Kendrick Castillo, who was killed in the assault on the STEM Highlands Ranch School, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. David Zalubowski, AP

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Pastor Dan DeMay said people often ask “why” when terrible things happen.

“The truth is, many times the question of why is often unresolved,” DeMay said.

The better question to ask, he said, is what next?

Castillo would have wanted everyone to move forward in love, kindness, respect and generosity, a number of speakers said.

John Castillo said at the service he knew his son was a gift and a hero, even before he died saving others.

Castillo said we can all learn to make time for people – that we should never be too busy to put something on hold for a little bit to love others.

“We can all be a little like Kendrick,” Castillo said. “There’s risk in love. He knew that.”

Thousands stood in the church to applaud the teen's father as he walked off the stage, the clapping punctuated by sniffles in the audience.

Charlene Molis was Kendrick Castillo’s principal from preschool to eighth grade at Notre Dame Catholic School. During the service, she said that even as a young child Castillo had a heart for helping others.

Dakota Mann is a STEM alum and is a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin and a design and fabrication mentor for Team Impulse, a robotics team Castillo was part of. As a mentor, he worked closely with Castillo.

“Everyone was drawn to him,” Mann said. “He was my friend.”

Mann knew Castillo for about four years, he said. Mann was a senior when Castillo was a freshman.

Castillo loved robotics. He spent much of his time at STEM School Highlands Ranch learning and mentoring other kids, Mann said.

That’s why a line of robots from various Colorado FIRST Robotics teams lined the walkway into the church.

“We asked if we could do something like a procession you might do for like a fallen officer or soldier because the effect was so profound,” Mann said.

As folks walked in, they stopped to look at the robots, many decorated with signs bearing Castillo’s name.

Julia Beller, 17, stood on the sidewalk outside the church before the procession began. She goes to Valor Christian High School, just across the street. Beller said she and some fellow students wanted to come out to stand with Castillo’s family and classmates. In her own small way, she said, she wanted to do what she could to show the love of God.

Pallbearers guide the casket to a waiting hearse on May 15, 2019 after the memorial service for Kendrick Castillo, who was killed in the assault on the STEM Highlands Ranch School in Highlands Ranch, Colo. David Zalubowski, AP

Madisen Purifoy-Frie, who graduated from the STEM School Highlands Ranch two years ago, holds back tears after a hearse carrying the body of Kendrick Castillo heads toward a celebration of life ceremony at the Cherry Hills Community Church. Michael Ciaglo, Getty Images

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